Pre-game show sets the scene for pulsating final
For the second year running, ADI designed and coordinated a stunning opening ceremony for the 2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, held at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven (3, June).
With a record-breaking sell-out crowd of 34,100 and more than 50 million YouTube streams of the competition, never has there been so many eyes on the Women’s game. ADI were commissioned by UEFA to deliver an event presentation that matched the occasion, which meant designing and producing the Opening Ceremony from concept stage through to live performance.
ADI’s experienced Sports Presentation team collaborated with UEFA to evolve creative ideas and draw up artistic concepts, before working closely with over 180 local volunteers and dancers to perfect the routine in the days and weeks leading up to the fixture.
During the ceremony, SFX was a fundamental part of the show. Pyrotechnics, flame systems, flag pageantry, audio and synchronised digital content for the LED screens, digiBOARD and ribbon were all managed and created by ADI, achieving a truly unique in-bowl atmosphere and ramping up the decibels ahead of kick-off.
The SFX design incorporated the iconic jersey colours of FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg, with a notable hit of blue and green lighting up the sky at the start of the show. What followed was a charge of white flags – symbolic of the host’s City of Light cultural status – before kinetic dancers and flowing streaming banners engulfed the pitch in the UEFA brand colours of blue, yellow and magenta. Post-match, playful pyro and confetti animations were deployed across the midtier LED for FC Barcelona’s trophy lift and celebrations.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video below to see how we brought our initial concepts to life.
“The occasion aptly celebrated the continuous rise of the UEFA Women’s Champions League competition, and our job was to ensure that the pre-game show paid homage to that with a colourful and prestigious production. The vibrant flags, streamers and kinetic costumes all represented the players and the skills that are displayed individually – ferocity, passion and energy being the key focus, while, as a whole, the ceremony centred around the brand message: ‘There is only one crown’. We have a remarkable sports presentation team, who are constantly pushing the boundaries with creativity and innovation, and everyone at ADI is excited to continue this exciting journey with UEFA.”
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The FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg supporters, who travelled in mass numbers to support their teams, showed their appreciation for the live performance with rousing applause and it set the tone for the action-packed match that was to follow. FC Barcelona ran out narrow 3-2 winners on the night, bouncing back from the heartbreak of last year’s 1-3 final defeat to Olympique Lyonnais.
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